Wolf Parade - Expo 86 (2010)

Wolf Parade is the collaboration of two prolific singer/songwriters, with a handful of other projects under their belts. Within the indie community (whatever that means), they might as well be Gods. Spencer Krug is worshipped beyond anyone this side of Steven Malkmus, and let’s face it, he’s a talented guy. Krug has written and performed some incredible music with Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and Swan Lake, to name the most prominent of his projects. Wolf Parade’s third album is due out at the end of June, and the music doesn’t feel quite as fresh as it did the first time around. Apologies to the Queen Mary (2005) was an immaculately crafted pop/rock album. It had character, was fun, approachable, and the attention to detail on that album was impressive. Down to every last pause, every last fill, the band seemed to make all the “right” choices, if that makes sense. I liked At Mount Zoomer (2008) too, but thought it was a moodier, less accessible album.

I often wonder how an artist with a variety of projects can return to one after extensive work in others, and not have the music colored by his/her more recent work. Dan Boekner’s songs don’t really sound like his work in Handsome Furs, and Spencer Krug’s don’t really sound like Sunset Rubdown songs, but I hear influences from both of those bands on this album. I hear Handsome Furs in the rigid, angular nature of some of the riffs. I hear Sunset Rubdown in the more left-field direction of Krug’s songs.

Another issue with Wolf Parade is that they embody many indie stereotypes. The eccentricity in Krug’s voice, his abstract lyrics, the odd song titles, the stylistic choices they make on their records. But let’s not confuse Wolf Parade’s adventurousness with indie wankery. It really isn’t. Wolf Parade is a band that is not afraid to take chances. They’ll include a verse here, a note there, a shift in melody anywhere, that seems odd from the standard pop/rock rulebook. That’s a really cool thing, and it’s part of what makes Wolf Parade an interesting band to me. My issue with the new album is that the band covers these songs with too much fluff. The synths and guitars wail in ways that distract somewhat from the skeletons of these songs. That makes these songs far more challenging than the ones the band released five years ago. My opinion of this album is largely a positive one. I expect that over the coming weeks, I’ll discover more to like about it.

Another gripe of mine is that there are too many “who-oh’s” in these songs. One vocalist will be singing, and the other will keep interjecting with “who-oh, who-oh, who-oh.” That gets annoying after a while.

link in comments